NCJ Number
93837
Date Published
1983
Length
11 pages
Annotation
A recent national survey conducted by the Center for Women Policy Studies indicates that congressional funding cuts have forced a majority of domestic violence projects to reduce their services or provide less shelter at a time when their volume of clients is increasing; the seriousness of the problem of domestic violence requires that Congress provide financial support for community-based domestic violence projects.
Abstract
Data on the extent of domestic violence indicate that it should be a cause of great concern in our society; however, Congress, through its cutbacks in social service funding, is making it difficult for abused women and children to obtain the services they need. Although the Surgeon General has warned that domestic violence is a serious national health problem, there has been no Federal action in the past year to address it. The lack of adequate services for battered women and the negative effects of reduced Federal dollars on domestic violence projects has been documented in a recent national survey conducted by the Center for Women Policy Studies. Four out of every five domestic violence projects are unable to meet the growing needs of battered women and children in their communities, and only 16 percent of those projects that had reductions in Federal funds stated that those losses were being offset by money from other sources. A fact sheet is provided on family violence which presents data on the extent of the problem, the response, and legislation addressing the problem. The appendix contains the report on the national survey designed to determine how Federal budget cuts have affected domestic violence programs.